EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - SEPTEMBER 08: Sam Darnold #14 of the New York Jets is brought down by Lorenzo Alexander #57 and Jerry Hughes #55 of the Buffalo Bills during the third quarter at MetLife Stadium on September 8, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Buffalo defeats New York 17-16. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)

The first week of NFL action is in the books, and the fantasy football landscape is starting to take shape. After months of projection, the first one or two weeks of the season are the most crucial times to nail your waiver wire selections. Defensive performance is inherently volatile, and smart fantasy football owners try to stream the position on the waiver wire rather than get locked into any one team. If you’re looking for a one-week fantasy defense stream on the waiver wire, make sure to look for the Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, and Houston Texans

Note that this list only includes defenses that are available in over 50% of fantasy leagues. If you’re playing in a smaller league, there’s a chance that the New England Patriots fantasy defense is available. If they are, make sure to pick them up. However, if they’re not and you’re left scraping the bottom of the barrel, you should think about grabbing one of these three teams.

Buffalo Bills

First and foremost, the Buffalo Bills have a good defense. The front seven is one of the best in football, and Ed Oliver already looks like an impact player. Tre’Davious White is one of the better cornerbacks in the league while Buffalo has one of the best safety duos in the NFL. The Bills are good enough to start on a weekly basis, yet they’re only owned in 15.7% of NFL.com fantasy leagues.

Buffalo faces one of the best matchups possible in the New York Giants. Eli Manningis a shell of his former self and can no longer consistently stretch the ball down the field. Saquon Barkley is great, but he can only do so much on his own. White should easily take away Sterling Shepard and the rest of the defense can handle Evan Engram. This is going to be a low-scoring game where Buffalo could probably get a turnover or two.

Carolina Panthers

This one is all about the matchup. In a vacuum, the Carolina Panthers defense isn’t anything to write home about. However, they won’t need to be great to get turnovers from the mistake-prone Jameis Winston. Bruce Arians is a good coach, but quarterbacks tend to turn the ball over at a high rate during their first year in his system. Arians’ aggressive downfield philosophy combined with Winston’s subpar quarterbacking makes this a favorable matchup for Carolina. While the Buccaneers could put up some points, the Panthers should be a safe bet to come away with at least one or two turnovers and a couple of sacks.

Houston Texans

This is another matchup play. Outside of J.J. Watt, the Texans don’t have too many notable playmakers on defense. However, they have enough talent to match up against the Jacksonville Jaguars and rookie Gardner Minshew. While I believe Minshew can be successful, he’s not going to drop 30 on Houston. Even if Nick Foles was healthy, Jacksonville wouldn’t have a great offense. Leonard Fournette looks more and more like a bust every day and the offensive line is already banged up. Watt should go crazy against backup tackles and the defense could easily come away with one or two turnovers.